Case Study: Source Vitál Apothecary
Born in Houston at one of the United States' first true day spas in 1989, Source Vitál creates personalized natural products for every body.
OVERVIEW
Source Vitál builds on centuries of development in natural, plant-based remedies and specializes in solutions to soothe the skin, body and spirit. Their products were created for estheticians and massage therapists whose guests sought natural paths to a cleaner being. Using up to 91% active ingredients such as mineral-rich seaweeds, essential oils, and whole plant botanicals, Source Vitál products get to the heart of the problem much quicker than their competitors.
The Challenge
Wholesale trade had served Source Vitál well since their establishment in 1989, but they approached us with the realization that direct-to-customer sales had further growth potential.
To increase sales and get products directly into the hands of potential new target audiences, we committed to driving more foot traffic to Source Vital’s Beauty Market retail location using digital marketing.
One of these target audiences included maturing millennials because they are found to be more in touch with their mental and physical wellbeing, plus they are coming into more wealth. That’s according to Sundale Research which also found that engaging with Baby Boomers posed a challenge for the skin care industry.
Enticing the younger demographic into brick-and-mortar stores presented an interesting obstacle as they are typically more inclined to shop online. Generation Zs, however, have been found to value an enjoyable in-store experience – despite not indulging too often – which gave hope to our goals in offline retail.
The Approach
First, we developed a strategy that was based upon an improved and enhanced e-commerce experience. Upon auditing Source Vitál’s previous content strategy, we recognized their website would need an overhaul for greater e-commerce success. Adobe surveyed 12,000 people and found the five categories people care about most on a good website: content displays well, it holds attention, it’s visually appealing, it’s personalized to the user’s interests, and it works across multiple devices. With these five ticked off, we were confident Source Vitál will see a boost sales with just the current website traffic.
We then developed an omni-channel and integrated digital attack plan to drive not just more awareness of the Source Vital brand, but influence new customers into trying these amazing products. Our plan included driving sales to the e-commerce website and driving more foot traffic to the company's retail outlet where customers could experience the product first hand and in-person. So, with a multitude of new channels and a completely reworked digital marketing plan, we rolled out this strategy to sell more products than Source Vital had ever sold before.
The Execution
For the web site enhancements, we created more consumer-centric product information, implemented user experience (UX) improvements, and removed friction points throughout the customer journey. Other measures we took included free shipping policies, additional payment methods, encouraged product subscriptions, and improved the imagery for a more professional brand.
Our search engine optimization (SEO) plan involved a content publishing schedule for the website (and social media), plus backend coding and meta-tag optimization.
Our cross-platform approach also considered Source Vitál’s presence on Amazon, where we launched new products, optimized listings and rolled out Amazon advertising campaigns to drive more sales.
We implemented Yelp, Google My Business and Bing Local listings to help drive more people to Source Vital's Beauty Market.
We also unveiled a strategy to drive more email newsletter sign ups and created a digital communication strategy to help the company keep their clients engaged with the brand.
The Results
Overall Success
Overall direct-to-consumer sales rose from 4% to 22% of total sales within 1 year, without sacrificing B2B sales.
Amazon Sales
The company's sales via Amazon now account for more than $120,000 in supplemental revenue per year.
In-Store Sales Growth
In-store sales grew from 0 to 14% of total sales with the launch of our local digital marketing campaigns.
TAKEAWAYS
We considered this campaign a resounding success and were equally proud to see that B2B revenue remained in great shape while B2C increased. This was the surest way to prove that our efforts had improved the value of Source Vitál.
(281) 223-1324
1980 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 100
Houston, TX 77056